Fire and Ice
by xSweetEternityx
Summary: -Chlerek-  Derek's been acting strangely and spending more time with another girl. Is he not interested in me anymore? While we're on this ski trip, I need to uncover the truth, as much as it might hurt.
1. Chloe I

**A/N: Wah.. it's been so long since I wrote! I had this idea poking in my head for a while, wanting to get out and to be written, so here it is! I can't promise that I'll update really quick since I've been going through a major writer's block for nearly the past two years, but I'll try my best. This story won't be too lengthy, so it should be less than ten chapters. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy my first chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I'd really really _really_ love to claim Darkest Powers as my work (especially Derek -grins-) BUT I'm not Kelley, so no can do I guess.  
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**Fire and Ice**

A Darkest Powers Story

**Chapter 1: Chloe I**

_It's been more than half a year since I first ended up at Lyle House. During that time, I learned what I was and discovered that there was a whole other world than just the human world. Well, technically, they're the same world, residing on dear planet Earth, but spell-casters, half-demons, shape-shifters and who-knows-what-else walk amongst humans. But for the most part, they don't know that. I also learned that myself and a lot of other young supernaturals out there were genetically modified by the Edison Group. While some of the projects were successful, there were a lot of failures as well. Turns out that I was also part of those failures. These so-called failures seemed to have a lot more power in their abilities, but for many of these cases, their powers were too strong and so, the Edison Group made it their mission to re-habilitate us or to take the uglier route: to exterminate us. My roommate back at Lyle House, Liz, was killed because her powers seemed uncontrollable. And so, we were on the run. However, back in spring, Simon, Tori and I were captured and taken back to the Edison Group. With some exterior help and Derek, we were able to pull a faint victory over the Edison Group before fleeing from the Cabals who organized the Edison Group. But enough of that, let's get on with the present..._

I blew warm air into my frozen numb hands as I walked home from school. It was the third week of December and the weather dropped in temperature everyday. I was all bundled up in warm clothing, but I couldn't help but feel the lack of warmth that Derek provided when we walked home together after school. These past two weeks, he was busy tutoring a girl everyday after school, so I walked home with Tori and Simon.

"I'm so glad that winter break is here," Simon piped up cheerfully.

"Um, yeah. Especially with all of those teachers ganging up on us this past week with their endless tests and quizzes. I definitely need a vacation," Tori added. "It was nice of Dad and your aunt to take us skiing for the next three days, Chloe,"

I nodded absent-mindedly as our boots crunched on the snow underfoot. Aunt Lauren and Mr. Bae had given us an early Christmas present, which was a three-day, two-night ski trip at the ski resort. We would be going there tomorrow and leaving in the evening on the third day. "Yeah," I murmured, barely paying attention to their conversation.

Simon's eyes drifted over to my face as his eyes were clouded with concern. "You feeling okay? I mean, you've been kinda down," he said.

Tori rolled her eyes at him. "Finally noticed, haven't you? Took you long enough. She's been 'kinda down' for the past two weeks," she said, cutting off my protests. "It's Derek, isn't it?"

I sighed. "It's no big deal really," I replied back. "He's busy,"

Tori exchanged a quick look with Simon as we turned around the corner onto our block. "When did he start being Mr. Cooperative anyway? I mean, the guy can hardly sit long enough in a classroom, not to even mentioning tutoring someone. And why _Amelia Jackson_? Considering how sad it is that all of the guys in our school drool after her," she snorted with disgust.

"Hey! She's cute, okay? Amelia's smart too, just that she has some problems with math, which is why she asked Derek to-," Simon said defensively before being cut off by Tori.

"-Which is even weirder that Derek said 'yes'. Knowing the guy for practically a year now, Derek hates being around others he doesn't know well, any more than necessary,"

"Well, it _is_ his decision. I don't see why it's any of _your_ business," Simon said sharply as we climbed the stairs to our front porch.

Tori sputtered as she opened her mouth to throw a witty comeback. I held up my hands. "Okay stop. We're here. Now let's go in before I catch hypothermia out here listening to you two bicker with each other," I said rolling my eyes and unlocked the front door.

The warmth of our house welcomed us as we quickly shut the door against the icy wind behind us. Mr. Bae called a greeting from the office and we answered back as we shrugged out of our frosty clothing, and thumped snow off of our boots. To the side, the living room was warm and toasty, with a fire blazing brightly in the fireplace. Normally after school, I would bring my books to the living room and make myself a steaming mug of hot chocolate before curling up beside the fireplace. However, today, I felt quite drained and decided to head on upstairs to my room instead.

Our house was a Victorian house that had three levels. The first level consisted of the living room with an attached office, a kitchen, a dining room and a small bathroom. On the second level was the guys' rooms, Tori's and mine. There was also a bathroom there. Opening up the closet at the end of the hallway led up to the two remaining bedrooms, which belonged to Mr. Bae and Aunt Lauren. They didn't have a bathroom on their level, so they mainly used the one on the first floor.

I opened the door to my room, dumped my stuff on the floor and collapsed onto my bed. I moaned at the comfort that the bed gave to my aching body and laid on my back as I looked around my room. Movie magazine cut outs were pasted all around my room, but I left one wall free for photos of my family and the adventures that I shared with Tori and the guys. This included all of us standing together in front of the new house we moved into, when we went to the beach, when Tori and Simon had a paint-fight, when I tried baking cake and failed miserably and Tori's birthday, which her face showed her delight at receiving the most recent computer programming software from us. But the picture that I liked the most was the one where Derek kissed me whole heartedly after we fled the Edison Group's compound. Normally, Derek would have noticed someone's unwelcome presence but at that moment, I was pleased to say that he was rather preoccupied and failed to see Simon creeping up on us. It wasn't until the disposable camera clicked did we realize that the moment was caught on film. I grinned at the memory of Simon booking it for dear life as Derek chased him for the camera.

"You looking at that photo _again_?" a voice asked as it brought me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Tori entering my room and shutting the door behind her. "Really, Derek looks like he's eating your face," Tori commented and made a face while inspecting the photo on a closer look.

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks at the memory of Derek's kiss. He was an amazing kisser. Not that I had a lot of experience to judge. But to me, I felt as though time was suspended for that moment. All I could think about was kissing him and it felt that that was all he could think about as well. The feel of his lips pressed against mine...

Suddenly a snap of fingers appeared in front of my eyes, surprising me. "Welcome back, space cadet. Did you have a nice trip?" Tori asked as she rolled her eyes at me.

I rubbed my face with two hands to clear any previous thoughts. I had forgotten for a moment that Tori was here. I cleared my throat. "What's up?" I asked as I sat up.

Tori made herself right at home in my room as she sat on my chair. "Let's get to the point: You hate the fact that Derek's hardly ever here," she said bluntly.

I blinked. Sure I disliked the idea of barely seeing Derek before he crashes for the night, but were my emotions so strong that I hated it? I mean, we were both individuals who have different lives. As long as he's safe, I shouldn't butt in too much with his life; everyone needs their privacy. I missed being near him and holding hands as we walked home together, but that was no reason to get mad at the whole situation. "I-i don't _hate _that Derek's busy enough that I barely get to see him, but-" I started.

"-_but_ you wish that he'd free up some time to be with you, right?" Tori cut in. "Don't give me that look, Chloe Saunders. You know it's true, as much as you don't want to admit it. You just don't want to be one of those annoying, clingy bitches, right?"

I averted my eyes as I gave a small nod. Though I lacked in the romantical field, I knew enough from classmates that demanding constantly to know your boyfriend's activities and whereabouts usually resulted in breakups. "However, if it bothers you, just let him know. Tell the guy to haul his wolfie ass over here so you guys can have some nauseating cute moments," Tori suggested as she lept off the bed and onto her feet. "He'll be home in 30 minutes. In the meanwhile, I want your feedback on the clothes I'm bringing to the resort,"

I smiled as I got off the bed. Tori has definitely gone a long way from the girl I first met in Lyle House. When I first met her, I couldn't have imagined getting advice from her, but now, Tori's one of my closest friends. Sure, she'd catch Derek and me and roll her eyes, but she supports us and helps me out when I feel down. Grateful for her company, I headed next door to help her choose her articles of clothing.

_Later..._

Lying on my bed, I peered at the clock. It was early evening and nearly time for dinner. Aunt Lauren came home a while ago and was down in the kitchen preparing dinner with Mr. Bae. I reached over to grab my cell phone from my bedside table and sat up. Derek was supposed to be finished with his tutorial sessions at least half an hour ago. What was keeping him? It wasn't like him to be late, especially not with dinner. Did he get into trouble? A frown crossed my face as I pondered over this possibility. At our new school, Derek still wasn't Mr. Social, but he did have a few friends. Occasionally, one of the jerks at school would try to get in his face, but Derek doesn't fall for it and chooses to ignore them instead. Unable to get a response from him, the jerks would usually leave him alone afterwards. However, I still felt worried and decided to phone him.

I pressed the speed dial for Derek's phone and waited as the phone rang.I counted the number of times the phone rang before it was picked up. "Hey D-"

"-_Hello?_" I halted mid-sentence as a feminine mezzo-soprano voice answered instead of Derek's deep rumble.

"H-hi, is D-derek around?" I stuttered, caught off guard.

A small musical laugh tingled on the other end. "_You're Chloe, right? I bet I caught you off guard there. It's Amelia Jackson. Derek's a little busy at the moment, but is there something you want me to pass along?"_

I swallowed. "Um y-yeah, okay. Can you tell him that dinner's ready soon?" I asked lamely.

Another small tingly laugh. "_Sure I'll tell him. We're just about done anyway," _Amelia replied. "_You're really lucky to have Derek; he's a really sweet guy underneath that rocky exterior. I wish I had a boyfriend like him. Anyway, gotta go. See you around,"_

And with that, she hung up. I lowered my cell phone from my ear, the dead line tone buzzing from the disconnected call. Judging from the amount of background noise, it didn't seem as though they were in the school's library. More like the mall, with the booming music from nearby shops. But what were they doing there? Like Tori mentioned earlier, Derek doesn't like being around others more than necessary. Obviously the tutorial session ended, but why was he at the mall, with _Amelia Jackson _of all people? She was a tall brunette in Simon's and Derek's grade who hung out with the popular kids in school. Amelia was really pretty with a slim but curvy figure that most girls would dream for. Though she is very attractive, Amelia also carried the reputation of not judging others by how they look, which added to her popularity. It also widely known that Amelia and her college boyfriend broke up a few months ago and ever since, most of the guys in and out of school wanted to date her.

An uncomfortable load fell into the pit of my stomach. What did she mean with her last lines? _'I wish I had a boyfriend like him'? _Maybe she missed her ex? Or.. could it possibly be that she li- "Kids, dinner!" Mr. Bae's voice rang up the stairs.

I shook my head as I cleared out these foolish thoughts and bounced off my bed, returning my cell to its proper place. Then I headed downstairs to the dining room. Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs, which was a large favorite. Derek's favorite too, though he wasn't with us at the moment. "I wonder what's keeping Derek," Mr. Bae murmured as he took a bite of spaghetti.

I looked down into my plate of half-eaten food as I felt Tori's heavy gaze upon me. "Beats me," Simon said with a shrug. "Probably helping Amelia with the last set of problems,"

Mr. Bae took this as an answer and Tori changed the subject with, "I've done a little skiing before, but I can't wait for tomorrow; it's going to be epic,"

Mr. Bae smiled at her. "Yes, this is the first time that we've all gone together. It will be lots of fun," he replied.

"Heck yeah. Just wait 'til you see me on the slopes, Tori. I can zip off the black diamond slopes like a pro," Simon added as he swallowed his meatball remains.

Tori lowered her glass as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that a challenge I hear? Well then, we shall see who's the _real_ pro," she said confidently and they continued to challenge each other.

I lowered my fork onto my half-eaten plate of food; I wasn't feeling very hungry. Aunt Lauren looked over in concern. "Is everything alright, Chloe?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, everything's good. I'm just not very hungry tonight. It must be the excitement for tomorrow," I said, forcing a smile. "Anyway, I still haven't finished packing, so I better excuse myself to do that now,"

I scraped off the remains of my plate before setting it in the sink and heading up the stairs. As I reached the room, I heard the front door opening and closing. "I'm back," a low voice rumbled from below.

"Welcome home, buddy. You're awfully late tonight," Mr. Bae commented from the dining room.

I heard the whispers of clothing as Derek took off his winter jacket and hung it up. "Yeah, we _just_ finished going over a hard problem that was on the test that she had yesterday," Derek answered as he moved towards the dining room.

Quietly, I slipped into the room and shut the door behind me, leaning on the now-closed door. Derek had lied about being with Amelia at the mall. Just what was going on?

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**A/N: Huzzah! Finished the first chapter.. which took a lot longer than it should have been. Usually I prefer to write a lot more, but I guess after losing the touch of writing often, a few hundred less than three thousand seemed to take a really long time to write! Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and please review with your opinions!**


	2. Chloe II

**A/N: Wow, I really didn't expect to get such a warm response from you guys! It made me really happy and helped me finish this chapter earlier than I planned. (And leave homework until later, haha). I've decided to write half of this story in Chloe's POV, but then switching to Derek's POV later on. What do you guys think? Would it be a good idea? Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Darkest Powers and Amelia Jackson is just an original character, who I needed to be in this plot.  
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Chapter 2: Chloe II**

Last night, after I barricaded myself in my room, I made myself occupied with packing the things that I would need for the next few days. I didn't want to think about what was going on with Derek. Later last night, when I finished, I heard Derek knock on my bedroom door, but I told him that I was tired and wanted to sleep early for tomorrow. I could hear him shuffling his feet outside as though unsure before leaving me alone a few minutes later. Today, the 6 of us were heading up to the ski resort a few hours away. Normally, I would sit with Derek, leaving Tori with Simon, but today I decided to sit with Tori instead. She raised her eyebrows in question when I plunked down next to her in the backseat but said nothing otherwise.

When Derek climbed on after Simon, he turned back to give me a weird look, one between surprise and maybe a tinge of hurt. However, like Tori, he didn't press on the matter. I chatted mainly with Tori for the duration of the trip, with Simon occasionally adding comments. After a long drive, we finally reached the ski resort, which was already bubbling with business. There were many skiers and snow boarders out on the mountains, zipping down slopes of varying levels. Those who weren't out there were warming up in the resort's lobby or chilling in the adjacent cafe. "Alright kids, let's go get ourselves checked in," Mr. Bae said with a grin as he helped lower our luggage.

Grinning ear to ear, Simon and Tori grabbed their stuff and raced for the resort while I waited for my ski stuff. "Want me to carry it?" Derek asked as he waited by my side.

I shook my head as I heaved my heavy duffel bag onto my shoulder. "It's okay; I got it," I said as I turned to leave with Aunt Lauren.

Once in the lobby, we took the chance to warm up as we waited for Mr. Bae to check us into our rooms. "This resort is really popular," Tori commented as she looked around the place.

"Yeah I noticed," Simon replied. "Winter break is obviously the high season for skiers and snow boarders alike,"

Aunt Lauren nodded. "There's also a lot of facilities here as well. There's the heated swimming pool with a sauna room nearby, a gym, yoga classes and massage rooms," she added. "After skiing, you guys could always go check those out,"

We chatted near the counter about our plans and what we were going to do first when a familiar feminine voice called out, "Derek?"

Turning my head, I saw Amelia Jackson in chic white winter sweater and dark jeans. Her long wavy brown hair flowed flawlessly over her shoulder and spilled onto her sweater. She smiled as she made her way over to the counter. "I thought it was you. Turns out that I was right. Hey guys," Amelia greeted us.

"Hi," we chorused back, if not a little surprised to see her there.

Amelia nodded at our luggage. "So, how long are you guys staying?" she asked.

"3 days," Simon replied as he flashed her a grin that made many girls at our school swoon. "And you?"

Amelia returned his smile. "My uncle runs the resort, so I usually come here during the winter break to help out a little. In return, I get to snowboard as much as I like. I just arrived this morning as well," she said, turning to wave at a well groomed, middle aged man from across the room.

The man gave her a small smile and waved back. "Anyway, looks like your dad is done. I should get back to work as well. Hope you guys have a good time," said Amelia. "Oh, and if you have time in your day, you should come visit me in the massage room; I know a killer Swedish massage,"

We nodded our thanks before joining up with Mr. Bae and Aunt Lauren. "Well, we got ourselves two fairly large rooms. Guys in room 305, girls in room 311. Unfortunately, our rooms aren't directly next to each other, but they're still on the same level, so that shouldn't be too difficult to get together. In addition, we're given two passes to each room, so Lauren and I will each have one, and you kids stick together to share yours. With these passes, you guys are able to use any of the facilities that they have without any additional cost," Mr. Bae explained as he handed out our passes.

"Right, thanks Dad. So, can we get on the slopes now?" Simon asked as he looked eagerly at the snow covered trails outside.

Mr. Bae chuckled. "Don't you want to unpack first? Surely by the time you come back in, cold and numb, you'd want something to change into," he said. "I advise you to unpack first, then go out to play,"

Simon sighed. "Alright alright. Let's go, bro. The faster we get unpacked, the sooner we can go," he said to his brother and we boarded the elevator to the third level.

The guys went into their room and we went into ours to unpack. Aunt Lauren said she had to make a call and left the room to Tori and me. "Kinda strange that Amelia's here, isn't it?" Tori piped up as she unpacked her luggage.

I nodded. "I know. I wasn't expecting her here at all," I replied as I unpacked my own.

Tori paused. "I wonder if Derek knew? He's been tutoring her for the past two weeks. Surely she might have mentioned something to him. Speaking of Derek, I noticed that something strange is going on between you guys," she said as she looked me in the eye.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not fooling anyone, Chloe. Not that your company is undesirable, but what's with the big change in seating arrangements? You two are usually way chummy with each other to sit with anyone else," said Tori.

I shrugged. "I don't know, but somehow things feel a little awkward between Derek and me," I answered.

"Um, no kidding? As dense as he is, I'm sure Simon feels it too. You want to talk about it?" Tori asked.

Sighing, I stopped unpacking. Then lowering my voice, I told her about phoning Derek and having Amelia pick up. "Whoa, wait a minute," Tori interrupted as I told her about Derek's lie when he came home yesterday. "You think that perhaps _Derek _is cheating on _you_? Personally, I think you're adding one and one and coming up with seven," she added, seeing the skepticism on my face.

"Besides, you're probably misunderstanding something. Why was Derek and Amelia together at the mall? I have no idea. Maybe he thought that a different environment would help her in math? Such as these _Jimmy Choo's_ are $550, so how much tax do you have to pay if the tax rate is fifteen percent? Obviously too much. _But_ the point is, I don't think Derek would ever cheat on you, Chloe. Every time you walk into the room, the guy practically gets a boner," Tori said nonchalantly.

My cheeks flushed scarlet. "L-let's not go into that topic," I stammered.

Tori waved her hand at my discomfort. "Anyway, I'm sure nothing is going on between them and it's just your hyperactive imagination from watching too many movies taking over. Like I said yesterday, you probably feel uneasy since it's been so long since you guys spent time together," she said shrugging. "Speaking of Derek, we should hurry up before we get yelled at,"

A smile crossed my face as I made a motion of hugging her. Tori saw this and immediately backed up before I could hug her. "Whoa, ever heard of personal space? If you _ever_ try to hug me again, I'll insert black dye into your shampoo that won't come out of your hair for weeks," she threatened.

I laughed as I swatted her playfully. We dumped our luggage on the floor, grabbed our ski supplies and went out to meet the guys.

_Later... _

"Wow, it's been so long since I went on a ski trip. I'm exhausted," Simon declared as we dropped off our ski and snowboard supplies into the resort's storage area.

I nodded. Even though I wasn't as experienced in skiing as Tori was, I could feel my body ache after all of those twists and turns I did as I went down the easier slopes. Simon, Derek and Tori were really good. Not only could they go off the slopes without falling, but they could also perform small tricks when getting a lift into the air. "Same here," Derek mumbled as he rotated his shoulder.

Simon looked over at him as we walked out of the supply storage area. "You okay, bro?" he asked.

Derek nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. I think it might be close to the time to Change again, but it won't be tonight," he answered.

"I was just about to suggest that we go exploring around the resort, but if you're not feeling up to it, we can reschedule," Simon said with a shrug.

"Nah, you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you guys later," Derek replied as he headed back towards his room.

We spent the next hour going around the resort and the surrounding area. The resort was very luxurious and many high class clients were found staying here. Many of the facilities were also top rate. The gym was also quite popular. It was very large with a supply closet and a joining weight room. "Wanna play ball?" Simon asked as we swiped our card keys into the card slot before entering the gym.

"Sure," Tori and I answered as Simon went to grab a ball from the supply closet.

We played two-on-one while switching teams every now and then. Even if it was just him against Tori and I, Simon was able to take us on and even managing to score more baskets. Though of course, I had very little experience in basketball outside of gym class, so it was also quite probable that I brought Tori down. So in the end, I said I'd prefer to watch instead of playing, so it would be more fair. Both Simon's and Tori's tall body structures helped them in basketball. The two of them were quite graceful as well, while I on the other hand was not. I smiled as I watched Tori laugh as she swipe the ball away from Simon and made a bee-line for the net.

As the click of the door to the gym swung closed, it suddenly brought a thought to my head. We needed our card keys to get into our rooms and any other facilities. Mr. Bae, Aunt Lauren, Simon and I had the card keys, so did that mean that Derek was locked out? Or was Mr. Bae in their room and was able to let Derek into the room? I frowned as I got off the bench. "Hey guys," I called, catching Simon's and Tori's attention. "I'm going to go back to check on Derek, okay? There's a chance that he's locked out,"

Simon paused as he caught the basketball in both hands. "Oh crap, forgot about that. Let's go get him then," he said as he turned towards the supply closet.

I shook my head. "That's alright. He doesn't need all of us to go get him. I'll go and you guys stay to finish your game," I said.

"You sure?" Tori asked as she frowned at me.

I nodded. "Yeah it's fine. See you guys at dinner," I said as I went back to the main lobby.

Looking around the lobby, I couldn't see Derek's dark figure in sight. As I took my cell phone out of my pocket, I looked down to see that it didn't have a signal with us so high up in altitude. Well, there goes that idea. Perhaps he was in his room after all? Better go check. I rode the elevator up to the third floor and went to room 305. I knocked twice on the door and waited. I heard footsteps inside and sighed in relief. However, as the door opened, I saw Mr. Bae instead of Derek. "Hey Chloe," he greeted with a grin that was very similar to Simon's.

"Hi Mr. Bae. Have you seen Derek?" I asked as I peered around him for any sign of Derek.

Mr. Bae frowned. "No, I haven't seen him since he went out with you and the others to go snowboarding. Why? Is there a problem?" he asked, his eyes wary.

"Oh, no.. there's no problem. Derek said he was tired and was going to relax in his room, but I just realized that Simon has the card key and not Derek," I said quickly.

"Ah, I see. In that case, no, I haven't seen him. Your aunt and I just got back from the cafe where we met up with some old friends. I guess I missed him then," said Mr. Bae.

I nodded. "Oh okay. I'll go look for him then," I said. "I'll see you at dinner,"

I went down the elevator and ended up at the main floor. It was possible that even though Derek didn't have a card key, he was able to get into the swimming pool or something, if someone let him in. Well, obviously Derek wasn't in the gym with us, so he couldn't be there. So that left the swimming pool, the sauna rooms, the yoga rooms and the massage rooms. Somehow I doubted that Derek would be taking yoga classes, so I decided to check that as a last resort.

After I checked the directory in the lobby, I went over into the swimming pool area and peered about. So far, from what I could see, in the three different sized pools, I couldn't see Derek's dark head. But then again, he could be under water. So I waited for a few more minutes, hoping to see him somewhere here. Unfortunately, even after five minutes, I failed to find him, so I entered the sauna room that was in the same area. I winced at the severe rise in temperature as I looked inside the room. There were several bamboo benches, but again, Derek was on none of them. "Mind closing that door?" a middle aged man asked as he saw me peeking into the room.

"S-sorry, I was just leaving," I said quickly as I shut the door and left the pool area.

Now, that left the massage room and the yoga classes. I halted as I realized with a sinking feeling that Amelia worked in the massage room. Was it possible that Derek was there? I jogged back to the lobby and looked at the directory again for the massage room. It turned out that while the swimming pool and sauna rooms were on one end, the yoga and massage rooms were on the other end. Picking up my pace, I went to find the massage room. I mumbled apologies as I passed the resort's staff who looked at me in bewilderment and little old ladies who looked at me in disapproval. Finally, I reached the massage wing. Now where was Derek? Was he here?

I stepped into the main room and saw that the massage wing was separated into many smaller rooms, for their guests' privacy. At the front of each room was a small window and I went to each room to look for Derek. He wasn't in the first two, but as the saying goes, the third time was the charm. I saw Derek lying on his stomach on a white stretcher. He was naked except for a white towel wrapped around his waist. His face showed a rarely-seen peaceful smile as hands worked on his back, sliding up and down his muscular back. However, I felt my heart drop into the acidic contents of my stomach as I saw _who_ was giving Derek the massage. It was Amelia Jackson.

Calm down, Chloe. I thought to myself. A massage is just a simple treatment; there's nothing special underneath. But as Amelia's hands moved gently over Derek's hard muscles, she leaned down to his ear to whisper something, which made his smile curve up into my favorite crooked smile. My heart sped up as I couldn't believe the scene in front of me. Why was Derek with Amelia? Sure, he mentioned that he was tired, but how did he end up in a massage room with Amelia as the one doing his massage? As I stood there in my confused thoughts, only one came clear. It was what Amelia has said to me yesterday: '_I wish I had a boyfriend like him'. _She was after Derek.

Unable to witness the scene any further, I hurried away from the massage wing as tears blurred my eyes. Someone else wanted _my_ boyfriend. What if Derek wanted _her_ too? What if he was tired of being with me? Ordinary Chloe Saunders, 5 feet tall with close to no curves. I wasn't pretty or smart like Amelia was. What if Derek wanted someone better? Someone who _wasn't_ me? I wiped my tears away hastily. But Derek wouldn't do that. He wouldn't cheat on me. If he wasn't interested in me anymore, he would have broken up with me. But he hasn't, which meant that there was nothing going on between him and Amelia. Whatever Amelia had was one-sided. I exhaled deeply. That was right: Derek would never cheat on me.

After reaching that conclusion, I went back to my room and washed my face in the bathroom, getting rid of my tears. "Chloe? Is that you?" Aunt Lauren's voice asked from outside the bathroom.

"Yes, it's me," I answered back as I washed my face for the last time.

"We're going to dinner. You ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I said as I opened the door and met her in the hall before heading down for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

The restaurant was fairly high classed, like the resort itself. The food was also quite exquisite, ranging from spicy Thai food to expensive Parisian food. As we ate, we talked animatedly about our day and what we thought of the trip so far. "Awesome trip so far. Going down those slopes was a blast!" Simon said energetically between mouthfuls.

"Although it was quite tiring, I had a great time. Speaking of exhaustion, you feel better, bro?" he asked as he turned to Derek.

Derek nodded as he gave a small smile. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better than I've felt for the past few days," he said as he ate the last mouthful of spaghetti carbonara.

I stopped eating and lowered my fork of crab meat. Was he talking about physically feeling better or emotionally feeling better? I frowned as I sipped my sparkling apple soda. "I'll be right back," I said as I rose to go to the bathroom.

There, I fought my earlier worries. "Don't be stupid, Chloe. Nothing is going between Derek and Amelia," I murmured to myself. "If there was, he would have told me,"

After I calmed down once again, I returned to my seat. As I sat down, something white fluttered to the ground. Looking around, I saw that no one else noticed and continued to finish up their meals. I reached down to grab the white material and saw that it was a folded napkin. Frowning, I opened the folded napkin to find a familiar scribble inside. It read:

'_Meet me in the courtyard by the fountain after we get back to the resort. We need to talk. -D'_

With shaking hands, I slowly looked up from the napkin to meet Derek's intense but unreadable eyes.

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**A/N: Dun dun dun! Don't y'all love cliff hangers? I'm so evil, haha. Anyway, what do you guys think about switching from Chloe's POV to Derek's POV (when I reach the middle point of the story)? Please give me your opinions and feel free to submit any constructional criticism (I'd love to improve my writing). Until next time!**


	3. Chloe III

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for all of your reviews! I really liked hearing from everyone who reads my story. I apologize for not updating earlier. I had parts of the chapter set in mind, but the problem was getting there. And there was several ways that it could have been done too. It all went down to whichever way would probably work better with the upcoming ideas in my head. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers.  
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Chapter 3: Chloe III**

My heart pounded furiously in my chest as I made my way towards the courtyard located in the middle of the resort. What did Derek want to talk about so urgently that we had to be alone? My heart sank as I thought of the possibilities. Was he going to break up with me? Oh god... Should I avoid meeting him? If I wanted to, I could turn back right now, but what good would that do? The outcome would still be the same. If Derek was breaking up with me, the longer I prolonged the chance for him to tell my outright, the more awkward things would be between us.

Derek means a lot to me. It's not the fact that he's my first boyfriend ever, but more of the fact that we understand each other. How we think, how we act and how we feel. For instance, if I was upset about something that happened with my dad, even with a facade, Derek could tell that something was bothering me. Being the person that he is, he would press into the matter and work out a solution with me instead of avoiding the awkward subject. As cliché as it may sound, but I feel that Derek's become an important factor in my life.

Upon reaching the entrance of the courtyard, I saw that Derek was standing in the middle of the courtyard with his side to me. Half of him was in the shadow while the other half was in the light that was provided by the lit foliage around him. Next to him stood an elegant marble fountain, with trickling water filling the silence. A breeze blew past me and Derek's nostrils flared, catching my scent. He turned slowly and I watched as he face came into the light. I took a small intake of air at Derek in front of me, looking at me with those determined emerald eyes. Without fail, he was going to say whatever he had planned.

Gently, I walked over to where Derek stood, stopping only when I was a foot from him. I looked at his hard set face and felt my heart pound so loudly that I was sure he could hear it. "Chloe," he called me quietly.

He was going to do it; he was going to break up with me. Derek didn't want me anymore. Without realizing it, a tear slipped down my cheek. "What's wrong?" Derek's determined eyes turned into eyes filled with confusion.

Derek made a motion of touching my cheek but I stepped back before he could touch me. Derek's arm was suspended in the air for a moment before he realized that I didn't want him to touch me. Then he slowly dropped his arm back to his side. "Chloe," Derek called once again, though softly with a question in his tone.

I sniffled as my eyes blurred with tears, alienating his face. "Y-you want to break up with me," I stated miserably as I wiped my tears.

Derek gave me a face that said he must have heard me wrong. "_What_?"

"You don't think I'm w-w-worth it to be your girlfriend," I told him. "So you want to break up with m-me."

"Chloe!" Derek raised his hands as his eyes widened in genuine shock. "What makes you think I want to break up with you?"

"Because you keep seeing Amelia secretly and not wanting anyone to know!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

There, I had said it. Derek's eyes flashed with something like hurt before he quickly blinked it away. "So," he began quietly. "You think I've been cheating on you with Amelia?"

"What other reason could there be? Why the sudden dedication to tutor her, Derek? I know that yesterday you were out at a mall with her. Yet you lied when your dad asked where you were. Why do that unless you had s-something to h-hide?" My voice broke on the last sentence as my eyes filled up with tears again .

"You know me better than that, Chloe," Derek said softly. "You _know_ I wouldn't ever cheat on you."

"Given the choice between Amelia and me, I know who's the obvious choice, Derek. Amelia is beautiful, kind and loved by everyone. On top of that, she's single and she's interested in you. It's a no-brainer."

I turned my face away as a few tears slid down my cheek. As they did, as shadow loomed over me and a hand on my chin tilted my face upwards. With a thumb, Derek brushed off my tears. "Yeah, Amelia is a good person, but that doesn't mean that I like her," he said. "The one that I like is you. I told you before that 'you're worth it' and that answer still hasn't changed, Chloe."

I stared at him wide-eyed. Was I hearing things correctly? Without a moment's hesitation, Derek chose me over her. However, something was still bothering me. "Then why did you lie if you had nothing to hide?" I asked in disbelief.

Derek sighed. "You weren't wrong when you said I had 'something to hide'," he said.

"But-" he added upon seeing my alarmed expression. "-it's not what you think."

Derek stepped back as he reached into his jacket pocket. Shortly after, he pulled out a thin white box with a golden ribbon on it. "I got this for you yesterday at the mall," he said as he held out the box to me. "And it's also the reason why I called you out tonight."

I stared down at the box in disbelief. With shaking hands, I took the white box from him and held it in my hands. Then, I slowly undid the golden ribbon until the box was no longer forced closed. With the ribbon in one hand, I opened the lid with my other and gasped in surprise at what the box contained. It turned out to be a necklace. A crescent moon with a star balancing on the tip of the moon greeted me. In the middle of that star, was a small crystal that reflected off the lights that surrounded us. "It's beautiful," I murmured softly.

Derek shoved his hands in his pockets as he rocked back onto his heels, pleased with my reaction. "A few weeks ago, after having dinner outside with everyone, I noticed a small jewelry store hosting this in their window. It was only recently stocked, so the price was a little high, but I thought that maybe you'd like it. It's not fancy, but it looked nice to me," he explained. "Problem was that I was pretty much dead broke and couldn't buy it."

Derek then met my eye and I knew. "So you started to tutor Amelia," I said.

He nodded. "Yeah. She approached me one day after school asking if I'd tutor her in math. At first I saw no reason why I needed to go out of my way to help her, but then I realized that I needed the money, so I agreed to it. Like you, she was also puzzled that I agreed. When she asked, I told her that I was getting something for you. Amelia would then question me every day on what the object would be until I finally gave in and told her that I would take her with me when I went to buy it, which was yesterday,"

"Ironically enough, I was more worried about the fact that you might have discovered my motive when you called my cell and got Amelia instead, but it never crossed my mind that you'd come up with something completely off the target," Derek added.

My cheeks flushed. "W-what was I supposed to think? Why did she answer your cell anyway?" I asked as I replaced the lid on the white box.

"Simply because the lady who was selling the necklace kept insisting that I get a flashier box," Derek answered non-chalantly.

"While I was arguing with her, the cell rang but I told Amelia to answer it instead. Also, I lied to Dad because Dad's like Simon; neither of them can keep a secret. So if I told Dad the truth, there's a big possibility that he would have let something slip and ruin everything," Derek added. "Good enough for you?"

Another thought came to mine. "Then what about today when Amelia was giving you a massage?"

Derek raised an eyebrow at me. "You know, I'd never label you as a stalker, but after today, I think I'll change my mind," he commented.

I blushed. "I was looking for you, o-okay? I mean, we realized that you didn't have a card key, so I went back to find you," I replied.

"That as well is quite simple. I was in front of my room when I also realized that I didn't have a card key. Coincidentally, Amelia just got back from delivering a forgotten item from a previous guest and saw me. Then she suggested that I get a massage from her as a bonus for helping her with math. End of story," Derek said exasperatedly.

I couldn't help but feel relieved at his explanation. It all turned out to be a simple misunderstanding on my part. But the fact remained that I had doubted him. Derek wouldn't ever cheat but I still thought that he would. My heart suddenly grew heavy as a deep frown crossed my face. A true girlfriend would be able to trust her guy around other girls. "What's wrong? I thought you liked the necklace," Derek said with a small frown as he caught the change in facial reaction.

"That's not it. I love your gift. It's just that I knew that you wouldn't cheat on me, but I still doubted you in the end. I'm the worst girlfriend," I said miserably and lowered my eyes.

"Chloe, look at me," Derek said softly yet firmly.

Slowly, I raised my eyes to meet his. Again I was taken away by the directness of his unwavering eyes. "To be honest, I was hurt when you implied that you thought that I was cheating on you. But that doesn't make you any worse of a person you are, Chloe. If you were hurt thinking that I cheated, it only meant that you care for me. You want me to be with you and not some other girl. To me, that clearly shows your honest feelings towards me," he said as his eyes stared deep into mine.

I sniffed as my eyes blurred with tears again. Although this time, it wasn't because of sadness; it was gratefulness. Grateful for a boyfriend that understood me and wanted me. Without a moment of hesitation, I threw myself at Derek and wrapped my arms around his waist tightly as I buried my face into his chest. I could tell he was slightly taken off guard, but he recovered quickly and held me close. We remained like that for a while, neither of us saying a word. But we didn't have to; the other person knew what we felt.

_The next day..._

I grinned ear to ear as I looked at Derek's crescent moon-star necklace hanging around my neck next to my necromancer pendant. "Are you looking into the mirror _again_?" a voice asked from behind.

Without turning, I saw that it was Tori who rolling her eyes behind my back. "Is that a crime?" I asked innocently as I fingered the necklace.

"As pleased as I am that I was right about you and Derek, you're driving me insane with your over-happiness," Tori remarked as she placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at me.

Last night I had told her that she had been right; I had misunderstood the situation between Amelia and Derek. "I told you so," Tori had said while managing to look unconcerned, but I knew that secretly, she was happy that it turned out well in the end.

"Well, at the moment, I don't think anything can bring my mood down, so you'll have to bear with me for a bit longer," I replied with a grin.

Tori sighed in exasperation. "Whatever, let's go now. The guys are probably waiting for us while you're smiling like an idiot in front of the mirror," she added.

I laughed as I grabbed my ski jacket and headed out the door with her. Like Tori had said, the guys _were_ waiting for us. A small smile crossed Derek's face as he saw that I was wearing the necklace he gave me. He took my hand in his and we went to collect our ski and snowboard gear from the supply room before heading out.

Like yesterday, we spent a large portion of our day out on the slopes. I still wasn't a terrific skier, but I managed to keep up with the others. However, after a few hours, I decided to take a break. I was watching the others when Derek suddenly turned my way and his eyes went wide. "Chloe! Look out!" he shouted.

Frowning, I turned to see that a snow boarder was sliding down my direction. Without a chance to act, the snow boarder collided with me and sent me flying a few feet. I hit the snow and the air was knocked out of my lungs. I coughed out snow that went into my mouth and pushed myself off of my stomach. From behind me, I could hear Derek raging at the guy while Simon was trying to get him to calm down. "Where the hell did you think you were going?" Derek shouted as he grabbed the snow boarder's jacket collar.

The snow boarder shrugged. "Just an accident, dude. No need to freak," he said calmly as he brushed Derek's hands off of him.

Derek glared at him but the snow boarder ignored him. Then he looked in my direction and said, "Sorry, I was going too fast."

Personally I thought that he didn't sound apologetic at all but I accepted his apology nonetheless because Derek looked as though he wanted to pummel the guy. The snow boarder glanced back at Derek and nodded before taking off again at a high speed. "You okay, Chloe?" Simon asked as I shook out snow from my hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little annoyed, but okay otherwise," I replied as I noticed that Derek still looked rather angry.

I placed a gloved hand on his arm. "Just forget it, Derek. You don't need to waste your time on a guy like that," I said.

Derek looked down at me for a moment before nodding. "You're right," he said before adding, "You sure you're okay? He knocked you down pretty hard."

I nodded. "I'm good, but I think I've had enough of skiing for one day," I answered.

"Well then, since we've been out here for hours, let's go back and call it a day," Tori piped up as she tilted her head in the direction of the ski resort, which wasn't even visible from where we were.

"Yeah. It's getting late anyway and we still have quite a way to get back as well," Simon added and we made our way back to the resort.

Once back at the resort, we dumped our stuff in the supply room before heading to our rooms. I collapsed onto my bed and groaned into my sheets. "This feels so good."

"It's almost dinner, so I'm going to shower first, if that's okay with you," Tori said as she glanced at the bathroom.

I waved for her to go ahead. Tori disappeared into the bathroom and moments later, I heard the sound of running water. Slowly, I rolled onto my back and yawned; it was an exhausting day. Subconsciously, I reached up to my neck to finger the crescent moon necklace, but my fingers felt nothing. I froze as panic set in. In a flash, I sat up, ignoring the protests in my body. Glancing at the mirror, I saw that the only thing that occupied the area around my neck was my pendant. Derek's necklace was missing.

I quickly got off of my bed and shook out my ski jacket, barely daring to breathe as I looked at the ground around me for the missing item. When I failed to find it, I went around the room, searching frantically for my necklace, but it was no use. It wasn't in the room. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I thought about earlier. Could it have fallen when that guy knocked into me? I swallowed as I replayed the scene in my head. The snow boarder hit me and I went flying. Then I hit the snow and the air was knocked out of my body. Could it have fallen then? My heart sank. That area was quite far away. Not to mention that it was getting darker and colder. Surely it was going to snow tonight.

If I waited until tomorrow, it was likely that I wouldn't be able to find it. Derek would definitely notice if I didn't wear it to dinner. After all the hard work he went through, it would hurt him deeply if he found out that I lost it so quickly after he gave it to me. He couldn't know. And he wouldn't if I were to go now, find it and get back by dinner. I scribbled a quick note saying that I was taking a walk and would be back by dinner. Then I grabbed my jacket, my skis from the supply room and headed out in the frigid weather.

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**A/N: There we have it. Truthfully, I went through that scene with Derek and Chloe so many times that I ended putting it off for a day. Derek is quite difficult to write for. Would he forgive Chloe? Or should he just storm off? I considering making him storm off and throwing the gift box at Chloe, making her realize that she got the whole situation backwards, but in the end, I decided that that would be too much angst on Chloe's part, which is unlike her. Anyway, I hope Derek wasn't totally out of character. (X...X) I'll see how things go for the next chapter, but there is a good chance that the next chapter will be in Derek's POV. **


	4. Derek I

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all of your reviews regarding the last chapter. So many of you are relieved to hear that Derek wasn't cheating. Well, regarding Chloe's necklace, I know it is a pretty predictable plot, but I'm hoping to keep it interesting. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy this chapter. It's also in DEREK'S POV.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers.**

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**Chapter 4: Derek I**

Simon and I hung up our jackets as we entered our room. "Long day, huh?" Simon said as he sat down on the couch and propped his feet up onto the other end.

I nodded as I headed into the kitchen to grab myself an apple from the fruit basket. "Don't forget your afternoon snack," I said as I tossed him one.

Simon caught it with his quick reflexes and rolled his eyes at me. "Yeah I know, bro. Don't have to remind me every time," he said.

"I wouldn't have to remind you if you remembered," I replied as I leaned against the counter, chomping on my apple.

Simon flipped me the finger and then he changed the subject. "So, I noticed today that you guys are back to normal."

"Hm?"

"You and Chloe, I mean." Simon finished his apple and crossed the room to discard it. "You guys were acting a bit off for a while now."

I shrugged. "It was just a misunderstanding, but we got it under control now," I murmured.

Simon turned to frown at me. "Oh really. Care to share?" he asked as he sat on the bar stool, swinging his legs.

"Chloe thought I was cheating on her," I said simply.

Simon stopped swinging his legs as he looked at me, searching for any sign that I was joking. When he saw that I was serious, his eyebrows arched. "Seriously? That was what Chloe was bummed about?" he questioned, looking dubious.

"Yeah. She thought I was into Amelia."

Simon gave a whoop of laughter at this. "You... with _Amelia_? Chloe thought that? Wow..." Then he looked thoughtful. "Well, I guess even Chloe would feel anxious about her boyfriend spending so much time with someone like Amelia Jackson. She _is_ really pretty, nice _and _popular."

I shrugged again. "I guess so. But even if she's all that, I wouldn't go for her-"

"-because you have Chloe, right?" Simon finished for me as he looked at me understandingly.

I nodded. "Yeah. Chloe doesn't realize it, but she's exceptional compared to any other girl we know. When she talks about her dream of being a screen writer, I feel that I can watch her talk forever. Her eyes completely light up her face when she talks," I told him. "I'd do anything to keep her from being unhappy."

Simon gave me a small smile. "She's only unhappy when you're not with her, Derek. Both of you keep the other happy. That's being in love for you, bro. I'm glad that you two got each other, I mean it," he said.

I studied him carefully. Ever since we were on the run, I hated myself for having feelings for Chloe. She deserved someone good, someone like Simon. Because of that, I kept my feelings buried deep, afraid that Simon and Chloe would discover them. To distance myself from Chloe, I snapped at her every misstep but it hurt when I saw that I always took things too far. So in my own way, I would quietly do small things that would serve as an apology for my actions.

As I grew closer to her, my feelings also grew and it became harder and harder to repress my feelings. Over time, I saw that Chloe had the same feelings towards me and as much as I wanted to sweep her up and kiss her until she was dizzy, I couldn't; Simon liked her. There was no way I would ever intentionally hurt him. But I guess as time passed, Simon knew that Chloe and I had feelings for each other. As much as it must have hurt him, Simon told me that it was okay; he wanted me to be with Chloe.

Despite him saying that, I knew he wasn't completely over her. Even some time after we reunited with Dad and Dr. Fellows, I would occasionally catch Simon looking at Chloe with a sad tenderness on his face. He still liked her, even if she didn't like him in _that _way. It was true that Simon had gone out with plenty of girls before we ended up at Lyle House and met Chloe, but I think Chloe was the first girl he sincerely liked. And I felt awful about it.

But looking at him now, it seemed that Simon was moving on.

Simon hopped off the bar stool and stretched his arms over his head. "We should get cleaned up before dinner. Though Chloe wouldn't say anything about it, Tori would surely complain if we stunk of B.O," he said as he scratched his head. "Mind if I go first?"

I shook my head. "Nah, go ahead. I'm going to get something small to eat; I'm starving," I told him and he disappeared into the bathroom.

Not long after, I heard the door to our room open. Dad popped in as he shrugged off his winter jacket. "Whew, it's getting really cold out," he said, hanging up his jacket. "How was your day, Derek?"

"Quite good, we went a little farther than yesterday, but came back after several hours," I replied. "Yours?"

I watched him as he poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge. "Yeah same here. Lauren and I skied for a little while before deciding to retire in the cafe and drink some coffee. I hear from the reports that we're going to have a snow storm tonight," said Dad.

Then he looked around. "Where's Simon?" he asked.

I nodded at the bathroom. "In the shower. Preparing for dinner," I answered. "Speaking of dinner, when are we going down?"

Dad chuckled as he drank his water. "Hungry already? Well, I told Lauren to tell the girls that dinner will be in about an hour," he said. "In the meantime, I'm going to crash. Seems that half a day on the slopes is taking its toll on me."

After Simon finished, Dad and I took our turns showering before heading down to the lobby to meet the girls. When we got there, I noticed that Chloe wasn't with Tori and Dr. Fellows. Tori noticed my frown and with a shrug, she said, "Chloe said she went out for a walk and that she'd be back soon."

Dr. Fellows looked concerned but nevertheless, she forced a smile. "I'm sure Chloe will meet us for dinner. We can eat while we wait for her."

And so, we headed into a small bistro near the restaurant we went into yesterday. We sat at a table of six as we made our orders. "Should we order for Chloe as well?" Simon asked finally.

Dr. Fellows looked around the room wistfully. Chloe still hasn't shown up. "I-i guess we should," she said quietly. "She likes beef, so I'll just order some Beef Stroganoff for her."

We placed our orders and shortly after, our food arrived, including Chloe's. We sat in an uncomfortable silence as we waited a bit longer for Chloe. Finally, after ten minutes, Dad cleared his throat. "Well, we should eat before the food gets cold," he said with a forced smile.

I ate bits of my parmesan crusted sea bass, but I barely tasted anything. Looking at the others, I could tell that they were worried about Chloe's disappearance as well. Dr. Fellows grew paler as time passed, her eyes darting to the entrance every handful of minutes, hoping to see Chloe. Just where in the world was she? Didn't she know that her aunt was worried? That _I_ was worried?

We ate in agonizing silence as we each hoped that Chloe would show up soon. "Lauren," Dad spoke, breaking the silence. "You barely touched your food."

Dr. Fellows turned to look at Dad with a small forced smile. "I'm not very hungry," she said quietly.

Dad studied her before deciding that we all had enough of dinner. "Let's get yours and Chloe's meal packed up," he said to Dr. Fellows. "I'm sure Chloe's waiting at the hotel for us to return."

As we stepped out of the bistro, a harsh gust of wind swept us. Tori stumbled forward at the force. "Jeez, it's freezing out here," she muttered as Dad agreed with her.

Like Dad had mentioned earlier, it seemed that the snow storm was finally here. It was snowing heavily and was extremely windy. We struggled back to our resort, eager to get out of the freezing weather. I could hear everyone's sigh of relief at the warmth when we reached the resort's lobby. The clerk greeted us as we entered. "Terrible outside, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes it is. Do you get weather like this often?" Dad asked.

The clerk nodded. "Usually around this time of year. Best to stay indoors," he advised.

Seeing that Chloe wasn't in the lobby, we headed onto our level and Dr. Fellows unlocked their room. "Chloe?" she called as she ran into the room.

We followed her in. Everything was where it was supposed to be and it was evident that Chloe wasn't here either. I watched as Dr. Fellows' shoulders slumped. Dad placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we missed her in the lobby. Let's go back and check," he suggested.

And so, we went back down. Once again, Chloe was nowhere in sight. We then split up, searching around the resort. As I went down the hall, I noticed Amelia coming out of the massage clinic and stopped short. "Amelia," I called.

She turned her head at my voice and smiled. "Hey Derek," she greeted back as she walked towards me.

Her smile faded as she got closer and noticed my worried expression. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Have you seen Chloe?"

Amelia shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her since this morning when you guys went out together," she said. "Is something wrong with her?"

I swallowed. "It seems that she's missing," I told her. "She was supposed to meet us for dinner, but she didn't show up. She's not in her room either."

Amelia frowned deeply. "I hope she's okay. I'll look for her around the facilities to see if she's there. If I find her, I'll tell her that you were looking for her," she offered.

I nodded my thanks and returned to the lobby. Looking around, no one else had returned from their search. I dropped onto one knee as I pretended to tie my shoe. Then I inhaled deeply. Among many different scents, I could make out Chloe's scent from this morning, alongside Tori's and Simon's. But as I changed my location around the lobby, I realized that I found another trail. It was a more recent trail, from a few hours ago. Heart thumping in my chest, I followed this scent and saw that it led to the supply room. Jogging, I ran into the room and sure enough, Chloe had been there. I swore. What was she doing in here? Had she gone back out? In _this_ weather?

I raced back into the lobby to find that the others had returned. "Any luck?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

Dad shook his head as he wrapped an arm around Dr. Fellows in a consoling manner. I swallowed thickly. "I think I know where she went," I said quietly.

Everyone turned to stare at me. "Where?" Dr. Fellows demanded desperately.

"I found her scent in the supply room. I think she went outside," I said.

Disbelief flitted across her features. "Chloe... went out? She's out _there_?" she pointed at the raging storm outside.

"It seems so."

Dad ran to the clerk as he told him about the situation. The clerk looked alarmed and notified the manager of the resort, Amelia's uncle. We waited impatiently as the clerk told him what was going on. Amelia's uncle looked shocked before his expression became extremely troubled. "As much as I want to help, there's nothing we can do in this weather," he said regretfully.

As soon as those words left his mouth, I felt a surge of anger spark through me. In an instant I grabbed the man by the collar. "A girl is stuck out there!" I shouted in his face. "People can _die_ in this weather!"

I heard Dad calling my name but I ignored him. "What do you mean '_there's nothing_' you can do?"

Amelia's uncle looked at me with unwavering eyes. "Like you said, '_people can die in this weather_'. We cannot risk sending out a search team under these conditions. However, once the storm clears, I assure you that we will send out a team to look for her. In the mean time, you will have to wait and hope for the best," he said firmly.

I clenched my teeth as I wanted to punch some sense into the guy but Dad placed a hand on my shaking arms. "Derek," he said firmly.

I looked at him in frustration. "Let him go," Dad added.

Seething, I slowly let the man go. "I'm sorry, but please wait out the storm," Amelia's uncle repeated.

Dad nodded as he steered me away. He placed an arm on Dr. Fellows' pale figure. "She'll be alright," he said quietly. "Chloe's a strong girl."

Dad took her and sat her down on the couch in the lobby. Simon took this as a cue to run and get her something to drink. As Dad sat next to Dr. Fellows, I made up my mind. "I'm going," I said quietly as I turned to look at the raging storm outside.

Dad looked up and before he could protest, he saw my determined face. After a moment, he swallowed deeply, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Alright, but be _careful._"

I nodded and took off for the supply room. I knew that while the ski lifts were working earlier, there was no way they would be working in this storm. So getting my snowboarding gear was out of the question. I looked around the supply room when my eyes finally rested on a snow mobile. Without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed the keys from the key rack and moved the snow mobile towards the back door. I zipped up my winter jacket and goggles as I started the engine. The snow mobile roared to life. I pressed the button that allowed the door to be opened and rode out into the cold.

I winced as the cold hit my face. I had to find Chloe fast. I zipped down the hills as I shouted her name. It wasn't much use against the roaring wind around me. I swore as I looked back and forth as I rode, hoping to see her silhouette. The only thing that I was thankful for was the light that the moon gave off. It wasn't a full moon, but it was close enough, giving me enough light to see. Just _what_ was she doing out here anyway? What was she thinking? And in this storm too. I cursed her a hundred kinds of stupid as I rode.

"Chloe!" I shouted again, trying to be heard over the roar of the wind.

I listened for a reply, but I could hear nothing except the wind. Looking back, the resort could no longer be seen from this distance. I swore again. When I found her, I was going to give her hell.

I rode on and on, growing more and more desperate as time passed. Where was she? I inhaled deeply as I went, flinching at the icy temperature. No luck. I couldn't smell her anywh- Suddenly I jerked as I caught something in the air. Inhaling again, my mind registered it as Chloe's scent. It was faint, but it was definitely hers.

Seeing how the wind blew upwards could only mean that Chloe was somewhere down below. Heart beating rapidly in my chest, I turned the snow mobile and went downhill. The way down was extremely slippery but I turned up the speed. I coasted downhill until the snow mobile slid out of control and threw me off. I hit the snow and I felt the icy cold sink into my skin. Cursing, I pushed myself up as I shook off the snow. As I headed towards the snow mobile, which landed on its side, I caught a scent.

Jerking my head to the side, I saw a small figure buried in new-fallen snow. My breath hitched; it was Chloe.

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**A/N: Yup, that's the end of this chapter. I hope it was satisfactory for you all. I was a little surprised to see that a lot of you thought that perhaps the snowboarder had a hand in the disappearance in Chloe's necklace, but he was just a one time character I needed to be in the story, so he had no motive for stealing her necklace. Writing in Derek's POV wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but please let me know if you notice that something is off. Thanks!**


	5. Derek II

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm really really sorry for the long delay in my update. For some strange reason, this chapter ended quite difficult to write because I wasn't sure how I wanted it to go. That and I've been crazy busy.. end of the term is coming up, so the teachers love to hit us with last-minute quizzes/tests. Thanks everyone for their warm reviews! I felt horrible in my delay since there was a number of you who were eager to read this chapter. This chapter is a little shorter than normal and I apologize for that, but nevertheless, I hope you'll enjoy!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers!  
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Chapter 5: Derek II**

Chloe was lying on her front as the new fallen snow covered her lightly. I rushed over to her side and immediately pulled her out. "Chloe!" I shouted as she laid limp in my arms.

Her lips were nearly blue with being out in the cold, but nevertheless, she was still breathing. I shook her, desperate for a reaction. "Chloe! Wake up!"

Nothing. I shook her again, this time with enough force to jolt her body. Her eyelids flickered slightly at my actions and I couldn't help but sigh in relief. She's going to be okay. However, the fact remained that I had to get her out of the freezing temperature as soon as possible. Looking towards her feet, I saw that she still had her skis attached. Quickly, I reached over to detach them before I lifted her onto my back, piggy-back style. As I did so, Chloe's gloved hand dangled in front of my face and something in her glove gleamed in the moonlight.

I squinted at the object. It couldn't be... it was the crescent moon necklace that I had given her the previous night. Chloe was wearing it this morning, so why was she holding it now? Holding it so tightly despite being unconscious? I stared at the object as I thought of the possibility that she was out here because of the necklace. If Chloe lost it, would she come out here in the middle of a storm to look for it? My gaze went to her face, which now rested against my shoulder. There was no doubt about it; Chloe would definitely look for it, no matter the circumstance. I swore under my breath. How could she have done something so _stupid_?

I felt the overwhelming urge to give her shit about risking her life for a necklace. But there would be time for that later. For now, I had to get her some place warm. I uncurled her hand and pocketed the necklace she went all this way to retrieve. I looped my arms around her legs and stood back up. I then trudged my way through the snow back to the snow mobile and turned the key to start the ignition. It didn't start. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I tried again but all I could get was the dying moan of the machine. "Great," I muttered angrily. "It's too damn cold for the machine to function."

After several failed attempts, I gave up. The stupid thing wouldn't start and there was no way we could get back to the resort. The only answer I could see at the moment was to find some place to wait out the storm. Preferably some place dry and warm. Even with several layers of fabric between us, I could feel Chloe shivering on my back. We wouldn't last much longer out here.

To my right, I eyed the thick padded forest that lined the ski slope. If we went in there, the trees would be able to block out some of the storm. However, if someone was looking for us, it'd be a lot harder to find us in there than out here in plain view. But at this moment, it seemed like the only option; I had to get us out of the storm.

With Chloe on my back, I trudged through the forest looking for a place to block out the wind. The pine trees did block out some of the snow that the storm brought, but it didn't help keep out the wind. After ten minutes of searching, I came upon a small snow cave. Any scent that I picked up from the small cave wasn't recent, which meant that whatever had lived in here had moved elsewhere. Cautiously, I felt the ceiling of the cave, which was as hard as ice. That was good; we didn't need to be buried alive.

The opening to the cave was so small that we had to crawl in. Or in this case, I had to crawl in and then gently tug Chloe inwards. Inside, the cave was just big enough that I could sit without bashing my head against the ceiling. Exhaling in exhaustion, I propped myself against the icy cave wall as I shifted Chloe until her head laid on my lap. Her hood had fallen off and her hair fanned out on my waterproof snow pants. Her face was ghostly pale and her pale lips breathed out warm air. Shrugging out of my gloves, I caressed her cheek and winced at the icy touch of her skin. Gently, I laid her cheek into my hand, which was warm from my glove. With her small petite face, the length of my hand reached the middle of her forehead from her chin. At my touch, Chloe's eyelids fluttered.

"Chloe?" Slowly, I brushed my thumb across her smooth skin in a circular motion. "Can you hear me?"

Chloe let out a small groan as she stirred in my arms. Sluggishly, her eyelids opened and her eyes flickered about the room, her gaze unsteady. Chloe looked at her surroundings and finally, her denim-blue eyes landed on me. "Derek?" Her voice was raspy and barely above a whisper.

"Yeah it's me. You okay?"

Chloe gave a small jerk of her head as though too tired to nod properly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said as she tried to rise.

I raised a hand to her forehead to stop her movements. "You should lie down to save your strength," I told her. "Speaking of the matter, _what_ you did was incredibly stu-"

"Don't say stupid."

My eyebrows furrowed in anger as Chloe laid herself on my lap again. "Why not? Do you realize that you could have gotten yourself killed out here? If I didn't find you, you would have been!" I was nearly shouting at her, but I didn't care.

Chloe swallowed as she met my steady gaze with her own. "No matter what, I had to find it, Derek. It was extremely careless of me to have lost it, but I needed to find it. If I left it until tomorrow, it would have been buried and impossible to find," she replied with a determined frown.

Gritting my teeth, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm down. "I would have gotten you another if that was what you wanted."

Chloe shook her head. "You had it all planned out and you worked so hard to get it for me. If I left it out here and forgotten, it would be as if I threw away everything you did for me. Even if you got me another, the fact would remain that I didn't even bother to retrieve the one that I had lost. If that was the case, I would be unworthy to be your girlfriend."

I couldn't help but to groan in frustration. "Are we seriously going to go through that again?" I growled.

Chloe said nothing as she turned her face away from me. I sighed as I placed a hand under her chin to force her to look at me. "I wouldn't have thought any less of you if you lost the necklace, Chloe."

Her eyes met mine. "But you'd be hurt. Don't deny it."

I opened my mouth to deny her words but no sound came out. Would I be hurt if I found out that my girlfriend lost something that I worked hard to get for her? "Honestly, yes, I'd be a little hurt, _but_ compared to the thought of losing you, I'd chuck the stupid necklace myself," I told her. "Do you know _how_ worried I was when you didn't show for hours?"

Chloe's gaze softened as I let my words sink in. "I'm sorry, Derek," she said softly. "I was planning on heading back right away after I found my necklace, but I slipped and hit my head."

She reached up and felt the said bump on the back of her head and winced. Gently, I reached for her hand and enclosed mine over hers. Chloe looked at our surroundings. "I guess it's also my fault that we're in this predicament."

"It'll be okay. Sure, there's a storm raging on outside, but we're okay here. It's still freezing, but at least we don't have wind and snow blowing into our faces," I replied.

"I'm guessing we'll have to stay in here until everything calms down, right?" Chloe asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. It's too stormy for a search team, but once it ends, they'll come looking for us."

Chloe smiled as a thought came to her. "You came for me despite the storm."

"Of course. I wasn't going to sit warm and snug inside some resort when you're lost out there," I said nodding to the storm outside. "You're stuck with me."

Chloe's smile grew wider at the thought. "I like that," she murmured quietly as she stifled a yawn.

"You should get some sleep. It'll be a while before the storm calms down. Might as well save your energy," I advised and Chloe nodded.

She shifted until she was comfortable and readjusted her head on my lap. Moments later, I heard soft deep breathing that told me that she was asleep. Gingerly, I brought my hand to the top of her head and ran my hand over her hair. I watched as her hair slipped through my fingers like water and repeated my actions.

As time passed, I couldn't help but notice that Chloe grew into a state of unease. She drew her knees up to her body until she was curled into a tight ball. Even then, she couldn't help but shiver unconsciously. I swore as I heard her teeth chattering as she fought to stay warm. Looking around the cave, I saw that there was nothing that I could use to make a fire.

Gritting my teeth, I wished I was a fire half-demon and could keep Chloe warm, but I wasn't. But as the thought of a warm body entered my mind, I had another idea. If I were to Change, my body temperature would increase to be the equivalent of the body temperature of a runner who completed a 10K marathon. Besides, I was supposed to Change sometime soon anyway, so why not now? Gently, I eased Chloe off of my lap and she whimpered at the lack of comfort. "I'll just be a sec," I murmured softly as I quickly undid my jacket and laid it underneath her like a pillow.

Chloe's body curled into a ball again as I quickly stripped out of my clothing, flinching at the drop in temperature as I did so. The cave wasn't big enough for my transformation, so the only option left was to Change outside. As I left the cave, my bare body sunk into the snow. Icy shock shot up my spine and I shivered. The cold was penetrating my body as heat was leaving it. It didn't help that the snow came down hard against my bare skin and lingering. Forcing one foot in front of the other, I took to the shelter of the trees and got on all fours. My body tensed at the cold impact of the snow against my chest and I tried to focus on Changing.

Lowering my head, I felt the hot impulse shoot throughout my body. Next, my skin stretched and the painful sensation began. I grunted heavily as I tried to keep my scream of agony to a minimum. Even though I've been Changing regularly for the past eight months, the pain is always there. The scream in my throat gurgled as my vocal cords morphed from human to animal. Gritting my teeth, I felt every muscle in my body lurch as my back arched higher and higher. I gasped; the pain was unbearable. Beads of sweats dripped from my body as my body temperature rose higher and higher until I felt as though I was being burned alive. Gasping I shut my eyes tightly as I braced myself for the final lurch of my muscles that made my transformation complete.

Finally, everything stopped. The world spun before my eyes as my legs gave out. My heavy body thumped against the cold snow as I gasped for air. The chill in the air was quite welcome as the fire still raged on in my body. Lying in the snow for a few moments longer, I pushed to my feet and shook off the excess snow as I made my way back to the mouth of the snow cave.

Pushing my body through the mouth of the cave, I saw that Chloe was where I had left her, curled in a tight ball. I slid right next to her and she stiffened at the touch. Then slowly, as though her senses were telling her that it was all right, Chloe uncurled herself as she edged towards me in her sleep. I shifted my body until her head rested on my body. Unconsciously, Chloe buried her face into my fur as she grabbed fistfuls of fur, clinging to me for warmth. A soft tremble went down my spine at the coldness of her touch. Soon after she was settled, I reached past her to snag the corner of my abandoned jacket with my teeth and gingerly tugged it until it covered Chloe's lower half like a blanket.

Finally satisfied with her comfort, I snarled a yawn as I felt my heavy eyelids drooping. Sensing no immediate danger around us, I curled myself around Chloe and drifted off to her soft steady heartbeat.

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**A/N: I loved it when Chloe used Derek as a pillow in The Reckoning, so I thought that I'd have it take place again. I wasn't too sure with describing Derek's Change, but I looked at some examples from Kelley's Otherworld series, so hopefully it doesn't sound too off. Anyhow, the next chapter will be the last chapter in this fanfic. I'm a little sad to see it go, but eventually, everything comes to an end. Once again, it'll be in Derek's POV. Hope you liked it!**


	6. Derek III

**A/N: Hi everyone, it's been a really long time! Lots of things have changed since then: I'm now in university studying kinesiology! Recently, in between homework, I've been getting back into the vibe of fanfiction-writing, so I came up with many ideas for my next fanfic work. However, I realized that I left this one hanging and needed up finish it up before I started another fic. Anyway, despite my lack of writing in the past few months, I hope this chapter will go smoothly for you guys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers  
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**Chapter 6: Derek III**

A stirring from inside me woke me up. Snarling a yawn, I opened my eyes to look around me. A quick recall of events reminded me that we were stranded outside. We were still inside the snow cave, but I could see some light from the mouth of the cave, which told me that it was no longer night. As I shifted, I felt a small weight on my side, leaning against me. Turning my head, I saw that Chloe had curled up against me, still asleep. Her sleeping face showed her innocence and her trust in my ability to keep her safe. She looked free of any worry and peaceful. If I wasn't a wolf, I swore I would have smiled.

Speaking of being a wolf, I felt the twitch in my muscles again. Hearing the silence that enveloped us, I knew that the snowstorm was over and there would most likely be a search team out looking for us. Of course, if we were found like this, obviously there would be several questions regarding why a girl was sleeping next to a wolf. Definitely needed to Change back. Glancing to my side, Chloe was still asleep and I didn't want to wake her. But learning from past experience, I knew that you can't go against nature. If I tried to evade my Change, eventually it'll force itself through, no matter the circumstances. Gently, I wriggled my body from under Chloe's sleeping figure and hear a small noise of complaint. Looking back, Chloe was now propped up against the cold ice wall. Obviously, she felt the lack of warmth. I gently tapped her forehead with my muzzle in apology.

Satisfied that she was still asleep, I made my way out of the cave and winced at the bright light that reflected off the snow. After having a few seconds to adjust, I trudged my way through into a clearing to being Changing. Laying on all fours, I lowered my head and concentrated on being human again.

Changing from wolf to human wasn't any less painful than the other way around. Only this time, it felt as though everything was in reverse. My body temperature rose as my muscles bunched up and squirmed underneath my skin. A scream threatened to escape my throat, but I kept my voice of agony at a minimum. Sampling the air, I knew that there wasn't anyone close at the moment, but there wasn't much out here to block off any sound, so I had to keep it down. The skin on my body began to stretch as my bones grinded against each other, determined to get back to their own place. It was an excruciating ten minutes, but after that final lurch, I was human again.

Exhausted, I rested on all fours, gasping for air as though I had run a marathon. I didn't feel the cold despite being naked. My internal body temperature took care of that. Hair was plastered to my face and I took a handful of new-fallen snow to wash my face. Finally, after my body had calmed down somewhat, I went back to the snow cave.

As my body cooled down, I began to shiver at the cold that surrounded us. Quickly, I began to dress myself. I pulled on my boxers and then as I tugged on my jeans, I heard a stirring behind me. "D-derek?" Chloe mumbled.

"Yeah." I zipped my pants before reaching for my shirt.

Looking around, I saw that it was next to Chloe. She gave me a sleepy smile. "Good morning," she greeted as she handed me my shirt.

"Thanks." I returned her smile. "Good morning to you too."

As I added the final layers of clothing, I saw that Chloe was studying me. "What's up?" I asked as I sat down facing her.

"I remember being really cold last night," she said. "But then I wasn't... You Changed for me, didn't you?"

I shrugged. "It's no big deal; you were freezing."

Gratefulness filled her baby blue eyes as she looked at me. "Thank you, Derek," Chloe said softly with a small smile.

"It was nothing."

As I shifted to find a more comfortable position, I felt a lump in my pocket. Wordlessly, I reached in and pulled out the object. As I uncurled my hand, I saw that it was the necklace that I had given Chloe. "My necklace!" Chloe exclaimed as she reached over for it. "I remember finding it last night, but I thought that I lost it again when I lost consciousness."

I gave her a small smile. "Nah, you were holding it in a death grip when I found you," I told her as I studied the necklace again. "The clasp seems to be broken, but I think I can fix it when we get back."

Chloe nodded her thanks as she positioned herself next to me. We sat there in a comfortable silence before I thought I heard a voice. "Hold on, I think I hear something," I told Chloe as I rose to look outside.

At first I didn't see anything, but my nose told me otherwise. A familiar scent drifted downwind towards me. "Dad!" I shouted, my voice echoing around me.

I scanned the area, but no sign of him. But I could smell his scent, which meant that he was out here somewhere. "Mr. Bae's here?" Chloe crawled her way out of the cave.

"I think so. The wind is carrying his scent."

Chloe cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey! Mr. Bae!" she called out. "We're here!"

Still no reply. "They're probably too far away to hear us," I murmured. "C'mon, let's get out of the forest and climb back up for a better chance."

Slowly, we made our way uphill, but it wasn't as easy as it had been when going downhill. Thanks to the new fallen snow from last night's snowstorm, going back the way we came proved to be rather difficult. Behind me, I could hear Chloe struggle as her footsteps sunk into the snow. Panting hard, I slowed my pace to wait for her. "You doing okay?" I asked.

Chloe's cheeks were apple red from the cold as she nodded her reply. "F-fine. Keep going."

Along the way, we called out to be heard, but unfortunately, there was no reply. "I'm sure I caught Dad's scent," I murmured as I lifted my face to the wind.

Inhaling deeply, I caught his scent again. The wind blew from the north, so he had to be up there somewhere. "Dad!" I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted again.

Panting, Chloe doubled over to regain her breath. "Still nothing," she said as she looked up at me.

I nodded. "But I think we're getting-"

"Hey!"

A voice in the distance interrupted me. My head whipped around to face the direction of the sound. "We're over here!" I shouted.

Looking in the distance, a familiar figure showed up at the top of the slope. "Derek! Chloe!" Dad's voice called down to us.

In no time at all, our search crew came down to pick us up. Dad gave me a quick embrace as soon as he got close enough. "Thank god you two are safe!" he exclaimed as he looked from Chloe to me.

Chloe gave him a small smile. "Derek should get the credit for that," she replied as she eyed me.

I shrugged. "Let's just go back; I'm starving," I grunted in response and Chloe's smile widened. "Me too."

We rode back to the ski resort on snow mobiles and it ended a lot faster than my trip out yesterday night. As soon as we got to the foyer, we were greeted by Chloe's aunt and everyone else. "Chloe!" her aunt cried out as she rushed forward to pull her niece into a tight hug. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm really sorry, Aunt Lauren," Chloe said quietly as she returned the embrace.

As we let the two of them have their quick reunion, Simon flashed me a blaze of a grin and he slapped my back. "Awesome bro. I knew you could do it," he commented as Tori stepped up to his side.

"Excuse me? And _who_ was the one who was fretting all night long?"

Simon turned to jab her in the ribs, but Tori saw the move coming and dodged easily. "Whatever. You were worried too. You just won't admit it."

I rolled my eyes as I turned my back to their endless bickering. Nice to know that some things never changed. While Dad went to speak with Mr. Jackson, Dr. Fellows released Chloe and turned to me. "Derek, thank you so much for bringing Chloe back safely. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened."

"It's no big deal," I mumbled back, unsure of what to say.

Thankfully, I was spared an awkward response as a low stomach rumbling broke the silence. I turned to raise an eyebrow at Chloe, whose cheeks were tinted with a small hint of blush. Dad chuckled as he returned from his conversation with Amelia's uncle. "It seems that we should put off our celebrations and first have some food in our system," he said with a smile. And with that, we sped off to grab breakfast.

_A few days later..._

After returning home, it wasn't too long before one of Dad's associates invited him and everyone else over to a Christmas party held at his house. However, Chloe was unable to attend due to the reason that she had caught a cold when she stayed out all night on the mountain. And so, I said that I would stay behind to keep her company while everyone else went. "I'll be okay, Aunt Lauren. You guys have fun without us," Chloe said when they were hesitant about leaving.

Dr. Fellows hesitated for a brief moment but then smiled at her niece. "All right then. Just phone us if there's any problem," she replied before giving her niece a brief hug and headed out the door to join Simon and Tori in the car.

Just as Dad left, he gave me a knowing look that obvious said something among the lines of '_I'd trust you two to behave appropriately while we are gone, or else Lauren will have my head!' _I rolled my eyes at him but gave him a smile. "Have a good time."

And with that, the door closed and the two of us were left alone in the house on Christmas eve. "Well, I'm going to see if there's anything worth watching on tv. You joining me?" Chloe asked as she sniffled.

"Yeah, but I'll come down in a bit. There's something I need to do first," I told her as she nodded and left for the living room.

I climbed the stairs and went back into my room. Once there, I took out Chloe's necklace from my ski jacket and laid it out on the table. Then bringing out my mini toolkit, I slowly pried the broken clasp from the necklace and bent a piece of wire into a makeshift clasp before reattaching it to the necklace. It took several attempts, but like the saying goes, the third time was the charm. Although it wasn't as nice as it originally looked, it seemed pretty good to me. I slid the necklace into my pocket and headed for the stairs.

The buttery smell of popcorn filled the air as bubbly, cheerful music floated from the living room. It was so sickening sweet that I swore that I could have tasted it. Definitely not my type of movie. Usually not Chloe's either, but I guessed that there was nothing else to watch but Christmas specials. Deciding that I could excuse my absence from the living room for a few moments longer, I slipped into the kitchen and whipped up two mugs of steaming hot chocolate.

At the creak of the door, Chloe's head turned as she smiled at the sight of hot chocolate. "Thanks," she sniffed as she took her mug gracefully.

I placed my mug on the coffee table and sat down beside her. "You shouldn't sit so close; you'll catch my cold," Chloe added with a frown.

I gave her an amused smile. "I'm a werewolf, remember? I'm immune to most illnesses," I reminded her.

Chloe's frown turned into a scowl. "That's unfair. You have all the cool powers such as being super strong, super hearing, super sight, super smell and super immune system. I get hauntings," she mumbled.

I chuckled softly. "That may be so, but if you ever came upon the ghost of someone famous, you could talk to them. What I wouldn't give to be able to have a nice chat with Isaac Newton."

Chloe sneezed and rolled her eyes at me. "You're such a science nerd," she commented.

I rested my arm around her as she leaned against me and sipped her hot chocolate quietly. The two of us remained in comfortable silence as we watched the sappy Christmas special. Finally, it was Chloe who spoke first, "It's Christmas Day now,"

I nodded as I removed my arm from its position. "Hang on," I said as Chloe sat up and looked at me, puzzled.

I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out the moon-star necklace. Wordlessly, I turned Chloe around so that her back faced me. Following suite, Chloe pulled her hair forward so that the back of her neck was exposed to me. Gently, I unhooked the necklace clasp and rejoined them again once the necklace was around Chloe's necklace. When that was done, Chloe turned to face me again, this time with the necklace that I gave her around her neck. She shot me a brilliant smile as she leaned in for a kiss.

I placed my hands around her waist as she wrapped hers around my neck and kissed me softly. When she broke the kiss, I made a small noise of complaint. Chloe laughed as she settled under the crook of my arm. "You taste sweet like hot chocolate," she noted.

"So do you," I replied.

Another light laugh. "Merry Christmas, Derek."

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Merry Christmas to you too, Chloe."

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**A/N; Well, that's it! After this fanfic, I think that Derek's POV is quite challenging to do, but it was a nice change. However, I think I should mainly stick with Chloe, since she is more relatable to me (that was also a reason why it took so long haha). But I'm happy that I finished this fanfic. But of course, it wouldn't have been completed without the support of you guys. Here's a shoutout to all of my reviewers! (in no particular order):**

**Chlereklover, Nadezzhda, darker.., MortalInstrumentsObsessed, Charli The Crazy Unicorn, murrey-2012, SweetDreamzz3116, blackrosegoth, moleking, XNatsumix, elizi02, suzi1811, Alasyn of Crimson Amethyst, tumblechick13, TheBlueEyedOne, SilverymoonXoXO, winkadink, rowen017, I Wish He Was Real, readeatsleep, newmoon261, aStormatMidnight, not-so-innocent011, alwaysreading25, hawaiiangrl, CeCsep, Holly-Rawrr, Winter Midnight, bookfreak9123, pixies114, lululara, Trinkett, rei of the wolf clan, FireflyBlizzard, iSarahhhhX3, Linda Chicana**

**Any my anonymous readers:  
Bertle, timah, Sarahhh, Fininish itt dun b evil, Ellie, Anonymous, wolveslover1012, Blossom07, runinginplace**

**Look out for my newest Darkest Powers Fanfic!: Never Alone** (**It's also Chlerek!)****  
**

**Summary: [AU] _Chloe is a transfer student for Lyle Academy, which is known for their special duo programs: Gen-Ed and Arts-Ed. However, due to the reason that she transferred late, the _dorm**_** rooms are all filled with the exception of one: Derek Souza's**._


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